We can't afford to deny our past in a bid to be empowered. But what we can do is contextualize the past. David Oyelowo More Quotes by David Oyelowo More Quotes From David Oyelowo Don't send me your script if you want me to play the black best friend; I just won't do that. David Oyelowo blackwantplay One of the things I have an allergic reaction to playing, especially as a black actor, is the mandatory kind of best friend/cop/detective type. You will never see me in that movie. David Oyelowo blackactorsfriendship I was sometimes called 'coconut' when I was at school. David Oyelowo coconutssometimesschool Female directors, directors of color are a big thing for me, which are both important voices and potent voices that need to be heard. That's how I want to engage myself as an actor going forward. David Oyelowo voicecolorimportant Asher means 'happy and blessed' which embodies my eldest. Caleb means 'stubborn and tenacious dog' and I can't even tell you how much that is my little boy! It was a useful warning. David Oyelowo blesseddogmean I love that as a black person I've experienced not being a minority. I think that's helped me to combat the minority mentality people can have here, which can stop them scaling the heights. David Oyelowo blackpeoplethinking I know I had my equivalents in Adrian Lester and Lenny James when I was at drama school. I remember David Harewood doing 'Othello' at the National, and Adrian Lester having done Cheek by Jowl's famous 'As You Like It and Company' at the Donmar. Not necessarily performances I saw, but just the fact they happened was massively encouraging. David Oyelowo donedramaschool I don't have a tailor, but I do love clothes. David Oyelowo tailorsclothes I like to think of myself as a physical actor. David Oyelowo actorsthinking I am a father, I am very aware of the things that I'm putting out in the world knowing that one day my children will watch the work that I've done. I want to be able to stand by it. David Oyelowo knowingfatherchildren It's fascinating to work with a company of actors of such different ages, experience and talents. I'm one of a generation brought up on television whose acting is more 'naturalistic', whereas with some of the older generation it's more heightened. But I think there's room for both styles. David Oyelowo styleagethinking I admire many actors, though I don't think there's anyone whose career I would want to mirror sort of by the beats. What I'm really looking to do is constantly defy expectations. I'm very curious to see if you can actually have a character actor and a movie star's career combined. David Oyelowo starscharacterthinking In what I do for a living, trust and confidence are key. Inevitably, you can't make brave choices and do your best work, if you don't have those, because it's such a subjective art form, and you don't have eyes on yourself. David Oyelowo eyekeysart For me, I'm always looking for opportunities to work with people who are better than me, who are more experienced than me, people from whom I can learn. And who could I learn more from than someone with an unprecedented movie star career that has spanned over thirty years whose name is Tom Cruise? David Oyelowo starsopportunityyears One of the things the BBC does better than anyone is period drama. David Oyelowo periodsdoedrama I love tennis, love it! David Oyelowo tennis The perception of Africa, whether in the U.S. or in Europe, is of a continent that needs help, and cannot pull itself up. That is just not true. David Oyelowo perceptioneuropeneeds I seem to be able to disassociate my insecurities. I know a lot of actors - some of the best actors in the world - can't bear to watch themselves and I have to say I can't relate to that. David Oyelowo insecurityactorswatches I have a bee in my bonnet as to how few black historical figures one sees on film; incredible stories, stories from which we are living the legacy and which just don't get made. David Oyelowo legacyblackhistorical I think until Britain acknowledges just how much of a presence black people had here before the Sixties, then there are certain stories that are not going to be inclusive of what I have to offer. David Oyelowo blackpeoplethinking
